Winemaker Notes
A wine that has the ambition to demonstrate the power and elegance of the vintage, the dense tannic texture supported by the flavor and freshness, depth and harmony of Sangiovese from a great classic vintage in Montalcino.
Produced only in great vintages and in limited quantities from the oldest vineyards of the company, it represents the qualitative flag of the company: an expression of the concepts that they hold dearest to Canalicchio di Sopra Eleganza, Terroir, Depth. The grapes, for at least 80%, come from a single vineyard: Vigna Vecchia Mercatale.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Canalicchio di Sopra’s Riserva is typically crafted from the estate’s oldest plantings. In 2016, it combines two sites: Vigna Vecchia Mercatale in Canalicchio and the Filari Lunghi vineyard on the Montosoli hill. It is intensely balsamic in fragrance, flaunting mint and rosemary on a backdrop of dark, rain-soaked soil. Flint and tobacco notes hover in the background. The palate is pure and upright. Tight, linear tannins penetrate the compact core of black brooding berries. Then, the palate is suddenly refreshed by a tangy, stony minerality. This still needs time to meld, but all the elements are there for a long life. Drinking Window 2025 - 2042.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva is layered and complete, with a seamless personality that feels both serious and polished. The nose offers aromas of suede, baked cherries, fresh herbs, and mossy earth, with a deeper savory tone underneath. Medium to full-bodied, it has plush tannins, vibrant acidity, and a long finish that is both structured and graceful.
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James Suckling
Lovely sweet black cherries and blackberries on the nose with lots of flowers. Full-bodied with fine, dusty tannins that are polished and beautiful. It’s very poised and pretty now, but will deliver so much more with bottle age. Goes on and on. Drink after 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Canalicchio di Sopra is faithful to the concept of Riserva, and there is always a marked, but proportional, stylistic difference between this wine (which is aged for 36 months in Slavonian casks) and the annata release. This is exact how it should be. Riserva is an extension of annata, not an exaggeration of it. From a classic vintage, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a special and highly collectible bottle. It shows depth and profound fruit with bright cherry, plum and crushed flower. It also manages greater concentration and density while maintaining its graceful personality. You'll need to add quite a few years of age to this wine.
Rating: 97+ -
Wine Enthusiast
Ripe black-skinned fruit, violet, truffle and new leather are just some of the aromas you'll find on this gorgeous red. Delicious and full-bodied, the smooth, elegantly structured palate features juicy Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and tobacco accompanied by a velvety backbone of taut, fine-grained tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2024–2036.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
Leads off with high-toned cherry and strawberry flavors and savory, mineral elements, which are buoyed by vibrant acidity and solid tannins. This is still very youthful and full of nerve, complexity. Reveals hints of soy and chocolate that add more detail on the long aftertaste. Best from 2025
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
Famous for its bold, layered and long-lived red, Brunello di Montalcino, the town of Montalcino is about 70 miles south of Florence, and has a warmer and drier climate than that of its neighbor, Chianti. The Sangiovese grape is king here, as it is in Chianti, but Montalcino has its own clone called Brunello.
The Brunello vineyards of Montalcino blanket the rolling hills surrounding the village and fan out at various elevations, creating the potential for Brunello wines expressing different styles. From the valleys, where deeper deposits of clay are found, come wines typically bolder, more concentrated and rich in opulent black fruit. The hillside vineyards produce wines more concentrated in red fruits and floral aromas; these sites reach up to over 1,600 feet and have shallow soils of rocks and shale.
Brunello di Montalcino by law must be aged a minimum of four years, including two years in barrel before realease and once released, typically needs more time in bottle for its drinking potential to be fully reached. The good news is that Montalcino makes a “baby brother” version. The wines called Rosso di Montalcino are often made from younger vines, aged for about a year before release, offer extraordinary values and are ready to drink young.